Main Navigation

Main Content

A non-profit publication of the Office of the University Relations of Virginia Tech,
including The Conductor, a special section of the Spectrum printed 4 times a year

UNIVERSITY PUBLIC SERVICE EXCELLENCE AWARD

Spectrum Volume 19 Issue 26 - April 3, 1997

Dee Whittier

By Jeffrey Douglas

The chances of finding W. Dee Whittier in his office are not very good.

More than likely, though, you can find him in the Veterinary Teaching
Hospital's Production Medicine Center, on a farm in the rural Virginia
countryside, or someplace in South America.

Whittier, recipient of Virginia Tech's 1997 Excellence in Public Service
Award, is not a man who likes to sit still. That's a good thing, too, because
he's got a lot of ground to cover.

As director of the Production Management Medicine program in the
Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine's Veterinary Teaching
Hospital and Virginia Tech's Extension Veterinarian for Cattle, Whittier copes
with a schedule that evokes images of the "Energizer Bunny."

"This is a big honor for me," said Whittier. "I feel a real sense of
dedication to the college. It's come a long way, and it's been a privilege to
play a small part."

"You have done a wonderful job as a faculty member," wrote VMRCVM Dean Peter
Eyre in a congratulatory letter. "I cannot think of anyone who has done more to
establish this college's reputation and goodwill throughout the state and the
region."

Whittier, an associate professor in the Department of Large Animal Clinical
Sciences, helped draft the blueprints for the college's clinical-services
program in the early 1980s. He also pioneered the establishment of its
Production Management Medicine program, a VTH service that now cares for about
35,000 animals a year.

As Virginia Tech's Extension veterinarian for cattle since 1985, Whittier has
earned national distinction and is a frequently sought speaker before groups of
veterinarians and producers around the country.

Over the past few years, his travels have taken him beyond the borders of the
United States, as professional and producer groups throughout the Americas have
called upon his expertise.

Since 1992, he has helped cattle producers in Mexico, Chile, Columbia, Panama,
and the Dominican Republic learn more about how production medicine techniques
can elevate the productivity of their dairy operations.